BeerBorg

As many of you know I've been traveling a lot over the last few months for work, but I did happen to get one hop plant (Nugget) in the ground and growing that was given to me by the master brewer at Liberty Street Brewing who sponsors our homebrew club. Anyway I'm pretty happy with how well this somewhat neglected plant has done. The cones are just starting to form and it has climbed to about 20' high. I guess I should start thinking about what to brew with these fresh hops!

This first picture was taken on May 17th


These pictures were taken today August 7th

Nice, Louie! From what I have heard is that the first year was a weak harvest, looks like you have a lot of cones. Also these are invasive through the root system, be sure you have the root system captured in some type of containment or the side of your house is going to look like Wrigley Fields wall in a few years.

Beautiful!

I'm green with envy. I am waiting to hear from someone locally who planted some hops and he may even give me some to try when ready but everything I hear is that hops grown in this area suck.
Yours look great!

Dawg LB Steve wrote:Nice, Louie! From what I have heard is that the first year was a weak harvest, looks like you have a lot of cones. Also these are invasive through the root system, be sure you have the root system captured in some type of containment or the side of your house is going to look like Wrigley Fields wall in a few years.

Ya, usually it takes about 3 years until they come into their own. Anywho, that is what they tell me. We have had great 2nd years. Right now it looks like harvesting will be in the 2-3 week time frame. Lab is frantically running samples looking for when the alphas peak and start to slightly decline. So, the party is right around the corner.

Louie, isnt it amazing how fast those puppies can grow day by day ?!?

Right or wrong, I don't know, maybe DaYooper will help, but I only let two vines grow from each rhyzone on my first year plants. My leaves have been eaten by beetles, leaves started turning brown a couple weeks back, but I do have some cones. Harvest will vary with type, Williamette being first, Centential second and last Galena, based on readiness. Just getting some smell from the cones now, waiting until they just start to turn tanish on a hop cone leaf before I harvest.
I grew mine in buckets this year, but after harvest, will move each into the grownd, setting up for next year. Any suggestions from the Master?

We have never used rhyzones only whole plants so I am of no help here. But in theory it sounds like it would help build up its roots that first and possibly second year.

My Cascades are doing well, plenty of leaves and plenty of cones. I pulled one yesterday, and split it. I think I'll start picking soon, watching the cones, the weather, my schedule.

So jelly, Lou! Mine refuse to sprout a single cone. Just a lot of foliage growing up and down.

I was at the LHBS yesterday picking up ingredients for an oatmeal stout I brewed today. When I was checking out, there was the employee and two others sampling a few beers. Behind me, was a shelf that had a string of hop cones, all ripe and ready. That started the conversation for me, asking if that was the way they were suppose to look when ready to pick. Well, Chris and I had a pretty decent chat, and the employee asked if there was enough beer for me to sample. Stayed and chatted for about 15 minutes or so, leaving with some decent info etc.

Can't get that online...

mtsoxfan wrote:I was at the LHBS yesterday picking up ingredients for an oatmeal stout I brewed today. When I was checking out, there was the employee and two others sampling a few beers. Behind me, was a shelf that had a string of hop cones, all ripe and ready. That started the conversation for me, asking if that was the way they were suppose to look when ready to pick. Well, Chris and I had a pretty decent chat, and the employee asked if there was enough beer for me to sample. Stayed and chatted for about 15 minutes or so, leaving with some decent info etc.

Can't get that online...

Very cool story. Agreed - my routine every time I visit my LHBS for ingredients, is to bring one of my beers with me. The LHBS owner is a BJCP judge. Not only do I get feedback without spending $7 for an entry, plus shipping, but it's also interactive. And a lot of interesting tidbits of information can unexpectedly get shared along the way.

mtsoxfan - any insights from your discussion that you can easily pass along to the Borg?

On topic, here's my Chinook cones, getting ready:

We have meetings at the LHBS, after closing, first Tuesday of the month.

Aside from the interesting chat with the hop passionate guy... it was pretty much to pick when the cone tips start to turn brown, make sure you circulate air on them when drying, the new shoots that you trim are edible, treat like asparagus, don't worry about beetles eating leaves, they will grow fine, (not a proponent of pesticides) he peeled back to layers to show me what to look for (lupin glands) keep lower leaves trimmed to help prevent diseases that are common on east coast.

Considering mine were planted late and in pots that are most likely too small, I think they're doing great. After the growing tips of the cascades got snapped off my the wind they still ended up about 8-9 feet tall and are really starting to bush out now. Not too many cones yet, but not expecting much of anything this year. Centennials are short (~6ft) but have decent sized cones although only a couple dozen. Really need to get the transplanting area figured out so I am ready to move them in a month or so...

My hops are sad and pathetic. I have Mt. Hood and cascade tying to grow in the Hot wet blanket that is FL. Both of them were making progress and then rotted at the base due to the insane wet humidity that is a constant here. The Cascade bounced back reasonably well but I'm still not impressed. It is an ongoing experiment, and it is the first year so we shall see. I am too embarrassed to post a pic.